The Next Best Book Club discussion
Author/Reader Discussions
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THE WISHING TREES - group discussion with Author
Very cool, Lori! I was recently turned on to his earlier novel, Beside a Burning Sea, and have been waiting to read it after the various group challenges I'm involved in are through. This story looks great, too!
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Got my copy in the mail! I am hoping to get started on it soon!!
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Mine came today! I've got a couple of books to finish up then I can start!!
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Remember, anyone who joins in to discuss will have a tree planted in their name by the author through the Arbor Foundation.
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Who's in?
I finally finished the books I needed to finish for some group challenges and will start reading this tomorrow. Yay!!
I had to be forced to put it aside for a bit because I got my copy of Room from th elibrary and it was a 7 day laoner. So I will jump back in a day or 2. But I am half-way through it already!
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Please mark your spoilers by either page number or chapter.. so we don't accidently give any thing away.
John will be joining us for the first two weeks of the discussion - so feel free to ask questions and let him know what you think as you discuss amongst yourselves!
Hi, everyone. Thanks for reading my new novel, The Wishing Trees. I'll be popping onto this site for the next two weeks, and will be delighted to answer any questions that you have about my book. So feel free to ask away! Happy holidays! - John
John,nice to meet you and thanks for joining us :o) The book sounds like a very good read, I am excited to be able to start it today!
Thanks, Tracy. The Wishing Trees is a really different novel than my other three, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy it! - John
John, Thanks for spending time with us. I'm about 120 pages in so far and I have to say that one thing I've noticed is that the locations feel authentic. Have you spent time in all these locations and how much?
Thanks, Lahni, for your note. Yes, I've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in Asia. I worked as an English teacher in Japan for a few years, and then I backpacked around Asia for a year with the money that I'd saved. I got back every year, as I love it over there, and all of my novels are set there. The Wishing Trees takes place in seven countries, and I've explored each of those countries rather extensively. I'm glad that the locations feel authentic for you, as I really tried to reincarnate them on the page...
John, How was the Himalayas? Climbing them sounds fascinating! My Dad had a dream to climb them once unfortunately that did not come to fruition for him. What part if any do the Himalayas play in The Wishing Trees?
The first thing I did was go to your website to read your bio and I see that you are familiar with these places and that you also have some children. What gave you the idea to write such a story? It is so heartbreaking.
Tracy, climbing the Himalayas was amazing. I took the same trek on two seperate occasions-an eighteen day journey that took us over the highest pass in the world. It was a beautiful, difficult, and memorable experience. The accomodations were 25 cents a night, so we were roughing it to say the least. I'm sure that the guest houses are fancier by now. I really connected with the Nepalese people, and had some wonderful chats with them. Some of my experiencs in Nepal I brought to life in The Wishing Trees...
Donna, well, my wife and I very much want to take our children abroad, to expose them to other cultures and so forth. It occured to me one night, what would happen if my wife passed away? Would I have the strength to take our children overseas by myself? I really didn't know how to answer this question, but it was this question that prompted me to think about the story that I tell in The Wishing Trees...
Do you see yourself more as the over protective father or the adventurous mother in the story as far as traveling abroad with your children?
Over-protective father or adventurous mother? Hmmm...that's a really good question. I'm probably somewhere in the middle. I'm very overprotective of our children when it comes to safety, and yet, we'll go climb a mountain here in Colorado and my wife will be angry with me because she's think it's over their heads. But when it comes to safety with cars, food, strangers, etc., I'm a bit of a freak. :)
John, without giving too much away, have you had experiences of helping others in your travels abroad similar to your characters? I'm particularly fond of Rupee and hope good things for him. I like to think I know what will happen.On a general note. I like Mattie's character. I compare her to my 9 year old and Mattie is much more serious which I think losing her mother would do. And yet there are moments where her childishness comes out which I'm glad to see.
*possible slight spoiler in Hong Kong section - just over half way through the book*
I'm surprised Ian hasn't shown any, in my opinion, signs of healing. It doesn't seem like he is gaining as much by the trip as his daughter is.
*spoiler over*
I do relate to Kate. I was diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago and while I was fortunate that it was taken care of surgically, my family and I were forced to consider all possibilities. At the time my 5 children were between the ages of 1-11. How do you give a lifetime of love if you don't have a lifetime to give it? I'm very thankful they never had to see me go through Chemotherapy.
Lahni,Yes, I've been lucky enough to be able to help people on my travels. Many of the scenes in The Wishing Trees (where they are helping people), are inspired by things that happened to me. I saved a homeless man from being beaten in Japan, I helped a girl carry her firewood to the top of a mountain in Nepal, etc. I've also, re Rupee, spent a lot of time with homeless children. My last novel, Dragon House, is mainly about homeless children in Vietnam, and that book is based on some of the stuff I did.
Yes, Mattie is more internal than most girls of her age would be. But I'm glad that you like how she comes to life in certain situations. That was my goal with her.
Ian...well...I wanted Ian's evolution to take longer. Please be patient with him. :)
On a personal note, I'm so glad that you are well, and that you got through your scare with cancer. Congrats! Your line about 'How do you give a lifetime of love if you don't have a lifetime to give it?' is really brillant. I had some of those very same thoughts with Kate, and that's why I had her send them on this trip...
Happy Friday, everyone. - John
SPOILER, sort of anyway :o)I just started the "chapter" where Ian and Mattie arrive in Kathmandu. Ian is questioning Kate clarity in asking him to take Mattie on a trip to third world counties, so to speak. Not sure this is the best way to describe Kathmandu but for lack of better words....
He is worried about her safety there. It makes me wonder from what I have seen so far who is/was the most adventurous Ian or Kate?
It seems (up to this point at least) that Kate would be since she came to the rescue of the drunk without any hesitation.
Ian may have been more adventurous prior to Kate's illness and death and his fear for Mattie is a natural consequence of that.
John I get the feeling from previous posts here and learning more about you that you have a very adventurous spirit. Was it your intention to make either Ian or Kate the more adventurous one?
Great question, Tracy. My intent was to have made Kate a bit more adventurous than Ian. She's the one who's pushed him to do things slightly outside of his comfort zone. She was like this while she was alive, and now, even in death, she is pushing him forward through her letters and poems. She thinks that she knows what's best for him more than he does....
Have just begun reading The Wishing Trees today. I am really enjoying it so far but it is making me a little sad! Enjoying the description of Tokyo as my husband and I are thinking of a trip to the Far East in the next few years.
Beautiful story. Despite the ribbon of sadness throughout it was a very touching story and a wonderful ending. Thoroughly enjoyed the novel and will be sharing my copy of the book with friends. I always appreciate being introduced to authors new to me and am very grateful to have received a copy.
Kathy, thanks so much for your nice post. I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed The Wishing Trees. Thank you for reading it, and thank you for telling your friends about it! Happy holidays. - John
***Spoiler from Hong Kong section to the end of book***John,
Why did you have Ian end up with Kate's best friend rather than bringing in a new woman for him? Did you consider a new woman for him at all and how do you think that would have affected the overall story?
#### SPOILER ####Well, I really wanted Kate to have thought things through and wanted her to have come to the conclusion that Georgia and Holly would be just what Ian and Mattie needed. Kate understood her loved ones and her friends, and realized that they would all be happy together. In my mind, that's one of the reasons she asked Ian and Mattie to take the trip--so that they would come upon Georgia and Holly. I didn't really consider having Ian fall for another woman, though I certainly could have done just that. But I felt like he needed to fall for someone who he knew. Otherwise it would have felt forced. At least to me.... Great question!
I haven't read any of your other books yet. I know this one is different than the others. How so? Do you have a favorite? Was one any harder or easier to write than another?
I own Beside a Burning Sea but have yet to read it. I also want Beneath a Marble Sky and Dragon House because they def sound like my kinda books! I have been a wee busy finishing up on my thesis but I should jump back in tomorrow!
Good questions, Lahni and Donna. Well, in terms of my favorites, I'd say:
Beneath a Marble Sky: This novel will always been near and dear to me as it was my first, and I really enjoyed bringing the story of the Taj Mahal to life.
Beside a Burning Sea: I wanted to write an epic WWII love story and really enjoyed that process.
Dragon House: I feel very connected to street children, and this novel brings them to life. What's fun about it is that through it I've raised enough money to buy complete sets of school books for 900 homeless children in Vietnam. This was/is so gratifying.
The Wishing Trees: This book is special to me because of the father/daughter relationship. I have a young daughter and son and feel so connected to them. Also, I can't wait to take them overseas.
So, I like my books for different reasons. I'd say that most of the people who follow me, say that they like Beneath a Marble Sky the best, though many people have told me that different books of mine are their favorites...
I'm also really excited about the novel I just finished. It's called Cross Currents and I think will be the first novel about the tsunami. It's a huge page-turner...
Good question! - J
One other thing, Lahni. My first three books have many more characters and sub-plots than The Wishing Trees. More action too. That's the main difference. The Wishing Trees was kind of a change of pace for me.
I am very excited to get my hands on Cross CUrrents! It already sounds great!More questions!
Can you really braid your daughter's hair? I think of my husband doing it and I laugh for hours!
Do you know an Aussie or stay there awhile? You seem to do a good job at talking like one and using the same words as an Aussie would.
Donna, thanks for your comment re Cross Currents. I'm glad you like the sound of it. I'm really excited to get it out there into the world. Alas, I have to wait until Sept!Well, I paint her toe nails and such, but no, I can't braid hair. That's one thing that has definitely escaped me!
Re Australia, I lived there for six months, so that helped me a lot with Ian's voice. I really like how Australians speak, as they use such colorful slang. I'm glad that you felt Ian's voice rang true...
- John
Great question about braiding the hair! My husband can barely COMB it!
AS I am reading along it's very interesting the people that Mattie and Ian meet who are able to give Mattie suggestions or advice on how to deal with grief. The teacher in Japan who suggests to Mattie that she is in a winter season, the inn owner in the Himalaya's whose husband has died and feeds Mattie for her strength for the climb and the boat driver in Thailand who believes his deceased son came back to him through the birth of his new baby.
Spoiler Alert!Oh! I just LOVE Rupee :o) I think he is my favorite character in the book. There are many aspects of him that I like but it's hard to differentiate them.
I guess all the little parts of him make a REALLY wonderful whole :o)I guess one of my favorite parts is when Rupee tell Mattie that she is his Ganga river and he is already reborn.
John, how did you come up with Rupee's character?
Tracy, you're right--I did populate TWT with characters who spoke with Mattie about death. My experience with some of these cultures is that they are more open about death than we are in the west. I'm not saying that's a better thing, but it's different, and I wanted Mattie to learn from their outlooks...
### SPOILER ###I'm glad, Tracy, that you're really connecting with Rupee. When I was in Varanasi, I was at the Ganges River, and I saw young, homeless Indian boys diving in that filthy water, looking for gold teeth. That memory has never left me. I spoke with some of the children and they were amazing. Rupee is kind of a reincarnation of those children. I'm glad that you like his line about Mattie being his Ganga, and that he's already reborn. :)
John wrote: "Donna, thanks for your comment re Cross Currents. I'm glad you like the sound of it. I'm really excited to get it out there into the world. Alas, I have to wait until Sept!Well, I paint her toe..."
You seem like such a great Dad. I have no doubts!
John wrote: "### SPOILER ###I'm glad, Tracy, that you're really connecting with Rupee. When I was in Varanasi, I was at the Ganges River, and I saw young, homeless Indian boys diving in that filthy water, l..."
I have read many books in regards to India so I know you did a great job at explainging the Ganges River and it's people. There are so many references to the Gold thing. I wonder, did you put your feet in? I don't know if I could. Especailly with those large crabs!!!! LOL
Donna, though I try to be brave with various situations, I didn't touch the Ganges. I'd love to, at the source, but not where we were.
Thanks, everyone, for your great questions. I appreciate the fact that you read my novel and really am grateful for your support. My next novel, Cross Currents (a story about the tsunami), is due to the publisher Jan 1, so I'm going to stop all Internet activity in a few days. If you have any final questions about The Wishing Trees, now is the time to ask... Happy holidays, everyone! :) John
John, I just want to thank you for being with us for our discussion of The Wishing Trees :o) My only regret is that I did not finish the book in as timely a manner I as I would have liked. Thank you again for spending time with us and Happy Holiday's to you and yours!
John, I too want to thank you for spending time hanging out with us. I'm glad I got introduced to you as a writer and look forward to reading more of your books.
The Next Best Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Dragon House (other topics)Beside a Burning Sea (other topics)
Beneath a Marble Sky (other topics)
Room (other topics)
Beside a Burning Sea (other topics)
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I have another good looking author group read set up for the month of December - John Shors and his novel The Wishing Trees.
He is giving away 3 signed copies on my blog now through Nov 1st
http://thenextbestbookblog.blogspot.c...
If you don't win a copy, but still participate in the group read and author discussion, John will plant a tree in your honor through the Arbor Foundation. How's that for giving back????
Good luck!